Philadelphia Water Department
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · 2024 data
Philadelphia is the only report in the cohort that is at once a magazine-grade publication and a designed, interactive website — it sets the ceiling for what a water quality report can be. It charts its own bad news, like a PFOA result above the limit that takes effect in 2029, instead of burying it, and translates every unit into something you can picture. It gives up a fraction of a point only because the underlying data tables and the closing glossary stay dense.
What their report looks like
How it scored, pillar by pillar
Weighted across five pillars for a 99/100 overall. Each note explains why this report earned that score.
Plain-language clarity25% of score
Every term is translated and the units are made tangible — an Olympic-pool analogy turns ppm/ppb/ppt into something physical — and each chapter opens with what it means for you.
A 5/5 looks like: Every term is translated, units are made tangible (e.g. an Olympic-pool analogy), and each section opens with what it means for you.
Contaminant transparency25% of score
It shows the numbers including the bad news: the highest PFOA result (7.3 ppt) is plotted against the 4 ppt EPA limit that doesn't take effect until 2029, and lead is shown as a 2016–2022 trend against the federal action line.
A 5/5 looks like: PFAS, lead and any exceedances are shown with real values against the limits, and problems are disclosed plainly rather than buried.
Information design20% of score
Contaminants are visually encoded rather than tabulated — a scroll-linked watershed map, charts drawn against the limits, and multi-year trend lines a layperson reads at a glance.
A 5/5 looks like: Contaminant data is visually encoded — charts against limits, multi-year trends, comparisons a layperson reads at a glance.
Digital accessibility & delivery20% of score
A true responsive, web-native microsite — a four-chapter narrative with navigation and an address lookup that maps your home to one of three treatment plants — not a PDF.
A 5/5 looks like: A responsive web-native report with navigation, charts, and an address lookup — not just a PDF.
Timeliness & completeness10% of score
Built on the most recent (2024) data with a broad panel including PFAS and emerging compounds; just short of perfect because a few sections trail the latest sampling year.
A 5/5 looks like: The most recent data year, with a complete contaminant panel including unregulated/emerging compounds.
marks the cohort average across all 25 reviewed reports.
What it does best
- A true interactive microsite, not a PDF — a four-chapter water-journey narrative with a scroll-linked watershed map.
- An address lookup that shows which of the three treatment plants serves your home, on a color-coded map.
- PFAS charted against the limits: their highest PFOA result (7.3 ppt) is shown against the 4 ppt EPA limit that compliance does not begin until 2029.
- A multi-year lead trend (2016–2022) with the federal action line drawn on it, plus an Olympic-pool analogy for ppm/ppb/ppt.
Where it falls short
Even the strongest report in the country still ends with a text-heavy glossary, and the data tables — while excellent — remain the densest part of the document.
How it compares
Philadelphia Water Department's report ranks #1 of 25 reviewed utilities, with a report-clarity score of 99/100 against a cohort median of 69. No report in the cohort scored higher.
See the full leaderboardWhat even this report can't tell you
A report describes the water leaving the plant, not what reaches your tap — your building's plumbing is where lead usually enters.
See Philadelphia's water data
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